1 Robert Coles is a man who cannot be summed up in just a few words. He is many things. He is a doctor. He is a teacher. He is an author. He volunteers. He listens. He tells stories. Robert Coles is one of a kind.2 Robert Coles was born in 1929. He grew up in Boston and went to Harvard College. He studied English literature. He wanted to be a teacher. Then he interviewed a poet for a school project. That led him in a different direction. The man that he interviewed was William Carlos Williams. He was a poet, but he was also a doctor. Mr. Williams thought that Robert Coles should consider studying medicine.3 Robert Coles decided to go to medical school. He studied and trained for many years. He took an interest in psychiatry. It is the study of mental disorders, or problems with how the brain works. He joined the Air Force after he left medical school. He was sent to Mississippi. He worked as a psychiatrist at a military base. His goal was to work with children when he left the Air Force.